Columns

I have a lot to say against Democrats. They are on the wrong side of any objective truth. They have their own truths that I reject.
I also have a lot to say about Republicans. They have some of their own truths also. Republicans’ new motto seems to be “Vote for us because we are not as bad as they are.”
There is no salvation in any political party. America is in a mess today, and it is getting messier each day.

Last month, President Trump visited Charleston’s Boeing plant and proclaimed the “America First” policy that has been one of his constant themes.
He said he the country will “rely less on imports and more on products made right here in the U.S.A. … This is our mantra: Buy American and hire American.”
It’s a great slogan, but it conflicts with the complex realities of global trade.

Where does your tax money go? In most instances it supports direct government activities such as schools, police, housing, public health and the like.
But in many instances your tax money is transferred to nonprofit corporations that have convinced government leaders that they perform a service worthy of public support. Museums, festivals, parks and tourism promoters are common nonprofit recipients of public funds.
There is a bill, H.3931, pending in the S.C. House, that would exempt nonprofit organizations getting public funds from the Freedom of Information Act.

This is my response to the columns by Jeremy Miller and Michael Jedson in Wednesday’s paper, which criticized Dr. Brooks Walker’s support for President Trump.
I loved Dr. Walker’s letter. It was all true. Trump is trying to save our country. He sees that America is running toward socialist government, and that goes to communist.

I am responding to Brooks Walker’s March 17 column “Democrats are redefining the party.”
Dr. Walker states that the Democrats’ one goal is to “get Trump.” Apparently, Dr. Walker must have forgotten Sen. Mitch McConnell’s statement at the beginning of Obama’s first term that the Republican’s goal was to block any and all legislation initiated by Obama.

Last Thursday, state Sen. John Courson was indicted by a state grand jury on three ethics charges. He was immediately suspended from the Senate.
The indictment alleges that the Columbia Republican funneled nearly $250,000 in campaign contributions to the political consulting firm of Richard Quinn and Associates, which then returned almost $133,000 to Courson for his personal use.
The reaction around the state has been universal shock and disbelief.

This is a response to the Feb. 10 letter “Trump Will Make America Great Again.”
When I hear that statement, I can’t help but wonder what is wrong with America now? If our great country is so bad, why do people flock to this land for better opportunities.
Most of us know someone who was been overseas protecting our way of life. Some of our daddies fought in Vietnam and a lot of our granddaddies fought the Nazis and Japanese in World War II.

This is a response to Dr. L. Brooks Walker’s March 17 article “Democrats are redefining the party.”
He wrote: “Democratic representatives in Washington have set aside their elected responsibilities to adopt one goal – ‘get Trump.’ They don’t seem interested in legislating, only blocking whatever might be credited to Trump in a positive way.”
Has President Trump done anything positive in his first 50 days? Nothing I know of.

The J. Marion Sims Foundation vision“We envision the communities we serve as places where all people join together to build on community assets for current and future generations, and where all people have the opportunity to reach their full potential.”

The J. Marion Sims Foundation is continuing a journey that we started in 2016 – listening to the people we serve, reflecting on what we hear, and acting collaboratively with partners to strengthen our community.

In 2001, the Lancaster County Coalition for Healthy Youth was formed and is now led by a network of over 40 local public, private, civic and faith-based organizations.
Over that time, the coalition has worked to raise awareness and address a wide range of problem youth behaviors such as substance abuse, delinquency, teen pregnancy and gang affiliation.
One project sponsored by the coalition, “Take ‘U’ out of DUI,” addresses two important community problems: driving under the influence of alcohol and underage drinking.